I used the pillars a lot, they give you time to heal and he can't hit you with a lot of his attacks. The one to watch out for is the jumping lightening smash. I think S&O is probably the toughest fight in the game, closely followed by the Four kings.

Did you beat the Demon Firesage yet? I keep getting blasted to death because of his explosion attacks, even when blocking.

21-03-2013, 07:13 PM

Unaco

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravelle

Did you beat the Demon Firesage yet? I keep getting blasted to death because of his explosion attacks, even when blocking.

I managed to get him (and all of Demon Ruins) yesterday... contrary to being in the Fiery Demon Ruins, his attacks are not Fire based. It's a different elemental damage, if that helps. Once I figured that and changed my ring/shield, he wasn't so tough.

21-03-2013, 07:14 PM

DarkFenix

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unaco

Yeah, I have ridiculous Endurance (40, when everything else is high 20s at most), full Black Iron set, Silver Knight shield, and a Greatsword, and Havel's ring... Just beneath 50% of equip load, so I can still run around fine. I have found it quite amusing when Invaders have tried to run away, to drag me out or tire me... and they haven't got away. I can keep running them down til they're out of stamina, and still have enough for a few swings.

I do have trouble against pure Magic/Casting builds though.

I have 40 endurance, Havel's ring and the Ring of Favor and Protection. BKGA, Artorias' Greatshield and full Black Iron set leaves me on precisely 50% weight. Convenient that the Pyromancy Flame weighs nothing too. Gives me a metric fuckton of hp and stamina too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravelle

Did you beat the Demon Firesage yet? I keep getting blasted to death because of his explosion attacks, even when blocking.

Same strategy as the boss when you return to the Asylum, get behind him and fight from there. His explosion hits immediately behind him but step back a few paces and you're safe. The damage type is mixed physical/magical I believe. The Crest shield from your return to the Asylum works well if you need to block it.

21-03-2013, 07:33 PM

Unaco

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFenix

Same strategy as the boss when you return to the Asylum, get behind him and fight from there.

That reminded me I hadn't killed him. I have now killed him. Although, I don't advise fighting him from behind... His buttocks are not a pleasant sight. Step round to the left or right a little, maybe.

21-03-2013, 08:03 PM

DarkFenix

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unaco

That reminded me I hadn't killed him. I have now killed him. Although, I don't advise fighting him from behind... His buttocks are not a pleasant sight. Step round to the left or right a little, maybe.

Yeah each of my fights against that boss have made me look like some kind of monster-anus-fetishist, running around a fantasy world ramming assorted sharp implements up a demon's cavernous arse crack.

21-03-2013, 08:50 PM

Ravelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unaco

I managed to get him (and all of Demon Ruins) yesterday... contrary to being in the Fiery Demon Ruins, his attacks are not Fire based. It's a different elemental damage, if that helps. Once I figured that and changed my ring/shield, he wasn't so tough.

He seems to hit me with its blast no matter how much I back up, I can block his melee just fine but his blast pierces right through my defense.

21-03-2013, 08:56 PM

Unaco

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravelle

He seems to hit me with its blast no matter how much I back up, I can block his melee just fine but his blast pierces right through my defense.

I still took damage from it... I don't know if there is any shield that is 100% effective against magic. But the Crest Shield +5, and the Spell Stoneplate ring, kept what damage I did take down to a minimum - also, having plenty stamina up, so blocking the Magic doesn't drain it... which does lead to significant damage. I think with the Firesage, you have to watch even more, because his Buttslam also releases the Magic damage, whereas the Stray Demon only has the 1 attack with it.

21-03-2013, 10:53 PM

Makariel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravelle

He seems to hit me with its blast no matter how much I back up, I can block his melee just fine but his blast pierces right through my defense.

Standing anywhere in front of him (roughly 90 degrees angle) is pretty much suicidal unless you have very high magic defenses and/or hitpoints. He has one attack which not only shoots forward but also a bit backwards, so you have to back off even if you're right behind him if he does that one. IIRC it's when he lifts his weapon two handed to slam it into the ground. Also, be careful when he does his butt-slam to not run into his left and by that into his weapon, which does damage if it lands on you. The easiest way to beat him is to run after and whack his tail and get some distance when he's lifting and doing the 2-handed blast.

21-03-2013, 10:59 PM

DarkFenix

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravelle

He seems to hit me with its blast no matter how much I back up, I can block his melee just fine but his blast pierces right through my defense.

Then a Crest shield plus Spell Stoneplate ring is your best bet. If you have miracles, there are the Magic Barrier and Great Magic Barrier spells that will help too. Also consider equipping an armour set with better magic resist.

I think the Demon Firesage's aoe is more dangerous because his hitbox is a lot smaller than the Stray Demon (if you're behind the latter, you're already a long way from the centre of his aoes).

I have few memories of my own fights with Demon Firesage; I generally leave the Izalith areas for last, so I'm usually overlevelled to the point of making the area laughable. Perhaps consider doing the same, there are plenty of easier areas available at that point in the game.

Out of curiosity, what build are you running?

21-03-2013, 11:51 PM

Ravelle

I'm running a strength build using The Fury Blade and Black Knight Great Axe together with Astora's Great Shield.

After all the nice advice I got it turned out that using almost any useful weapon would require backtracking. Thankfully I remembered my trusty crystal halberd.

Also killed L.... whats his face. The badman who's hat I am wearing above, and finally went back to the undead asylum.

Just did that catacombs no problem, though I am not sure what I was supposed to be doing there. Pinwheel was a nice change of pace for bosses, I just walked up to him and hit him till he died. I do feel kind of bad though, he just seemed like a nice bookman and then I killed him and broke his table.

I also joined the gravelords, but I don't really understand the point. I can send things to people that are annoying, but ultimately they have to come find me and then I can kill them for eyes? Do I get a reward if they get killed by the curse enemies that I send to them?

26-03-2013, 06:49 PM

DarkFenix

The black phantoms that spawn in people's worlds don't give you any rewards for their kills, so there's basically no point in gravelording. If you're looking for pvp you may as well just invade people personally.

Christ it's amazing to see how far you've come since first starting the game. Fought O&S on my latest character yesterday, a super-agile scythe-wielding dex build. Decided I wanted to make the Dragonslayer spear for the hell of it, so I took the 'difficult' route and killed off Smough first. I've never put the beatdown on those two quite so brutally before, the whole fight felt like an unbelievable cakewalk (and I felt invincible afterwards, which naturally led to me being slaughtered by some joe ordinary mobs, this game really doesn't like complacency). This compared to the countless times I died and retried the first time through the game.

26-03-2013, 06:55 PM

lasikbear

That's what I was afraid of, oh well, I wasn't particularly committed and I still got a cool sword out of it.

28-03-2013, 10:19 AM

Drayk

Hi guys,

I am a bit lost, I am starting Dark souls again, after a failed attempt on XBOX (Killed the gargoyles, the Taurus Demon, Havel the rock, a titanite demon and some Black knights...) it already took me 25hours to do so few...

I got killed too much by the hydra and the Capra demon.... And I said enough: I am too bad at this game...

But here I am again, this game is a challenge for me and I want to give it another try.

I am thus looking for tips. After some reading I am wondering which type of character I could play.

I am looking for a heavy hitting but mobile build with some ranged attacks (Pyro ?) Fast weapons are better because I don't have the best reflexes... I was thinking about using INT or FAITH weapons... Or is Dex and Str a better way to go ?

28-03-2013, 12:56 PM

gundato

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drayk

Hi guys,

I am a bit lost, I am starting Dark souls again, after a failed attempt on XBOX (Killed the gargoyles, the Taurus Demon, Havel the rock, a titanite demon and some Black knights...) it already took me 25hours to do so few...

I got killed too much by the hydra and the Capra demon.... And I said enough: I am too bad at this game...

But here I am again, this game is a challenge for me and I want to give it another try.

I am thus looking for tips. After some reading I am wondering which type of character I could play.

I am looking for a heavy hitting but mobile build with some ranged attacks (Pyro ?) Fast weapons are better because I don't have the best reflexes... I was thinking about using INT or FAITH weapons... Or is Dex and Str a better way to go ?

I don't say this often: But you are doing it wrong.

If you think you are bad at the game because you are dying: This isn't the kind of game for you :p

Seriously, you'll die a lot. That is the point. The game is hard, but fair. You'll die a lot until you learn patterns (or learn to stay calm and methodical).

That being said: This game isn't really focused on builds (unless you are a hardcore PvPer) and is more about just leveling as you need to, and upgrading all the time.

That being said: I am partial to dex weapons for the exact reasons you mentioned (they tend to hit faster) and because every character should have a bow, and bows are dex. The int/faith scaled weapons can do a lot of damage, but be warned that you are boned by anyone with magic resist (which, fortunately, is somewhat rare).

General rule of thumb: Go do a bit of research and pick the weapons you want to use, and write down the minimum stats required for those. Get those minimum stats, and you are a fully functional character. Beyond that: If you have good scaling along one attribute, go for it. And always carry multiple weapons as it is a good idea to always have (at least) a dedicated normal weapon, a dedicated magic weapon (or an enchantment spell), and a dedicated fire/lightning weapon (I carry both :p).

28-03-2013, 01:05 PM

Drayk

Quote:

I don't say this often: But you are doing it wrong.

If you think you are bad at the game because you are dying: This isn't the kind of game for you :p

Well it's one thing to die trying and learning, it's another to make the same mistakes several times because you're a slow learner and you aren't patient enough, you time your attack, rolls, parry badly...

I don't think I am bad because i die... I think I am bad because I die too much, too often :P But, as I said, It's a challenge for me and I want to overcome it.

Quote:

Seriously, you'll die a lot. That is the point. The game is hard, but fair. You'll die a lot until you learn patterns (or learn to stay calm and methodical).

I know what you mean. Just before quitting I made another character and went to Havel and killed the Taurus without dying once...

Thanks for the tips. I guess i won't increase my stats too much at first and only buff endurance and Vitality till I need new stats for a weapon.

28-03-2013, 01:10 PM

gundato

While you can do whatever you want, keep in mind that your Soul Level determines who you co-op with and who can invade you. You get too high, you won't be able to co-op and you'll get sodomized by the super-assholes (rather than the regular assholes or the mega-assholes or the hyper-assholes...). I suggest checking one of the wikis for Dark Souls (wikidot and wikispaces both have a page like this) to see the suggested levels for co-op for each boss as those provide a good sign of what will provide a challenge but still be "easy"

And when in doubt: Upgrade a weapon, not your character. You'll notice much better returns if you take a weapon out to +5 (or +10 or +15) than if you just level up a few points into dex or str. It will also be much cheaper by the time you are at SL20 or so. Upgrading armor is less important, but always smart.

Isn't the sense of accomplishment you get from beating a boss in this game just unlike anything else in any other game you've ever played? Even just reaching the next bonfire in a new area for the first time feels better than actually beating most games.

28-03-2013, 01:33 PM

DarkFenix

Obviously minor mechanical spoilers incoming:

Avoid the Int/Faith weapons, they generally spread your attribute bonuses thinner and are for more advanced builds that hybrid themselves between magic and melee.

For a bit of basic ranged capability make your starter class Pyromancer, it has a good spread of starting attributes and has (of course) pyromancy, which you never need invest stat points to boost. It also starts at level 1, making your stat investment that little bit cheaper.

If mobility is your thing, you'll want a dex build, since it focuses on lighter weaponry and dodging, along with allowing the use of bows if you want something longer ranged than pyromancy. Unfortunately heavy hitting weapons and fast weapons are mostly mutually exclusive, but there are a few exceptions.

Early on you'll have little choice as a beginner with dex weapons, there are good ones available from the start but they require you to know how to reach them. The Estoc is a good starter, a long rapier weapon (head down the elevator under the Firelink Shrine, go left towards the wooden bridge over the water, it's before the bridge on a corpse). There's also the Winged Spear in the cemetary right at the start, needs a bit of a sprint to get since it's guarded by a giant skeleton, but at this stage dying doesn't really matter.

As far as end game weapons go (ie. weapons you'll keep forever), the Balder Side Sword is commonly argued to be the best all round weapon there is. It's most easily acquired in Sen's Fortress (though you can get it from the Undead Parish, the drop rate is absurdly low), where you can find a couple of Balder Knights up on the roof near a bonfire (Balder Knights being those guys you fought on the bottom floor of the church by the first bell).

The Great Scythe is also a fantastic endgame choice; it hits about as hard as dex weapons ever do, has great reach and a fantastic move set. You can get this from the Catacombs (the scary place past the graveyard at the start) and it's available from the start of the game, however you really need to know where you're going and what you're doing to reach it (there are video guides around if you're particularly inclined).

The last dex weapon I'd consider of special note is Quelaag's Fury Sword. It's a boss soul weapon (the soul being from a boss you'll fight quite near the beginning of the game) that you can't acquire until much further into the game (the Giant Blacksmith has to craft it for you, he's much further in). It's strong, fast and does a proportion of fire damage, but its reach is poor. It's particularly good because normally an elemental weapon sacrifices its stat scaling, this sword doesn't, it does a ton of fire damage and still scales wonderfully with dex.

General tips:

- Ignore the Hydra for now, as easy as it is to kill, it's a pain in the arse to approach. It's not a mandatory boss, so leaving it for now is consequence-free.

- The Capra Demon is a bastard of a fight early on, when you enter the area you'll see stairs behind it to the left, go up those and out onto the arch over the road, then focus on killing the two dogs. Once you've done that you can kill the Capra any way you like; a straight fight if you don't feel like being 'cheap', plunge attacks after he falls, or ranged attacks.

- Stat-wise, you want to boost your one damage stat primarily (be it int, faith, dex or strength) in approximately equal proportion with endurance at the start. Boost vitality for a few points when you feel a bit fragile. Never take a stat above 40 unless you have special reason to, diminishing returns hit hard past 40.

- Kill Knight Lautrec for the Ring of Favor and Protection (+25% life, stamina and weight capacity, best ring in the game for a newbie, among the best for a veteran even), it'll help immeasurably. As for how to kill him, after saving him (upper floors of Undead Parish, behind a poorly concealed secret wall, the imprisoned guy in gold armour) go back to the Firelink Shrine, he's sitting really close the edge, two kicks will send him over it (first kick won't aggro him). Quit the game and reload and his loot will be where he was sitting.

- Get used to dodging, keep your weight below 25% if possible. The <25% dodge animation has a faster recovery time and seems to have more invincible frames too. Generally speaking try to dodge at the last second, my usual mistake is dodging too early on an enemy attack that has more wind-up than I anticipate. Also, dodge into the enemy attack, you want that attack hitbox to clear you as fast as possible. And never let your weight go above 50%, the fatty roll is a death sentence.

- As others have said, get used to dying. I've gotten very good at the game, but I still die all the time. Sometimes I get cocky, sometimes careless, but I still die all the time and it's still always my own fault. I lost 50k souls yesterday to this, died to the Four bastarding Kings, then got careless on my way back and got eaten by a normal enemy.

28-03-2013, 01:37 PM

gundato

I would disagree on killing Lautrec early on as the quest he is related to is one of the most fun in the game.